Oh look, another asshat was given space in the Wall Street Journal Op-Ed section, and it seems fair to say that this asshat is even more ill-informed than the last one. What’s particularly surprising is that this particular asshat, Richard Landes, is a historian at Boston University and yet has absolutely no understanding of Middle Eastern, Arab, or Ottoman history -- it's kind of fascinating, actually!
I mentioned elsewhere, but the <em>best</em> part of Andrea Saul&#039;s endorsement of Romneycare was that she did it in such a way that highlighted precisely why states can&#039;t fix healthcare on their own, because when one state forges ahead, their savings from reform are cancelled out by the inward migration of sick people.
Aristocratic cultures tend to denigrate manual labor and heavy work as the domain of peasants and slaves and such, but that&#039;s really not quite the same thing. The peasants and slaves and such still need to work hard (lest they starve, if nothing else).
And they certainly aren&#039;t practiced by the GOP, least of all Mitt &quot;shred everything, and buy the harddrives so you can them to me to dissolve in acid&quot; Romney.
After Spain tossed out the Moors, it enjoyed the remarkable political combination of a strong monarchy with the spirit of a much more representative government.
It proceeded to plunder the New World, bringing back each year more gold than existed in all of Europe. It didn&#039;t take long to move on to silver and other resources.
How did Spain spend this untold wealth? It did manage to import massive inflation and that was about it. Spain, by the calcuation of most people, is a Western European nation with the culture to match.
Of course, to prove it as stated, you&#039;d have to demonstrate both that there are no nations that have succeeded economically despite inferior culture, and that there are none who have failed economically despite superior culture.
More likely, if you&#039;re a WSJ hack, you&#039;d just stick your head up your own ass and define superior cultures as those that have succeeded economically, give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done, cash your wingnut welfare check from Mr. Murdoch, and go drink scotch with the other old white assholes at your country club.
If Israel&#039;s development was achieved purely through their culture, why the fuck have we been showering billions of dollars per annum on them since forever?
I mentioned elsewhere, but the <em>best</em> part of Andrea Saul&#039;s endorsement of Romneycare was that she did it in such a way that highlighted precisely why states can&#039;t fix healthcare on their own, because when one state forges ahead, their savings from reform are cancelled out by the inward migration of sick people.
Aristocratic cultures tend to denigrate manual labor and heavy work as the domain of peasants and slaves and such, but that&#039;s really not quite the same thing. The peasants and slaves and such still need to work hard (lest they starve, if nothing else).
It&#039;s all wogs after Calais.
Nice one.
And they certainly aren&#039;t practiced by the GOP, least of all Mitt &quot;shred everything, and buy the harddrives so you can them to me to dissolve in acid&quot; Romney.
I thought it happened to elms.
You&#039;re even more ignorant than the Journal&#039;s hack, aren&#039;t you? Suddenly I miss the downfist button that I never even saw...
But they did kick those browns&#039; asses a couple of times.
Every racist knows Arabs are lazy.
There are two long National Geographic specials built around Prof. Diamond&#039;s books, and I learned a great deal from both of them.
Just like Ole Newt is the genius of the GNoP.
Sorry, it&#039;s a kosher salad...
maybe they were bit by a jellyfish
After Spain tossed out the Moors, it enjoyed the remarkable political combination of a strong monarchy with the spirit of a much more representative government.
It proceeded to plunder the New World, bringing back each year more gold than existed in all of Europe. It didn&#039;t take long to move on to silver and other resources.
How did Spain spend this untold wealth? It did manage to import massive inflation and that was about it. Spain, by the calcuation of most people, is a Western European nation with the culture to match.
Of course, to prove it as stated, you&#039;d have to demonstrate both that there are no nations that have succeeded economically despite inferior culture, and that there are none who have failed economically despite superior culture.
More likely, if you&#039;re a WSJ hack, you&#039;d just stick your head up your own ass and define superior cultures as those that have succeeded economically, give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done, cash your wingnut welfare check from Mr. Murdoch, and go drink scotch with the other old white assholes at your country club.
If Israel&#039;s development was achieved purely through their culture, why the fuck have we been showering billions of dollars per annum on them since forever?